Monthly Archives: April 2017

Can conservatives vote for a government spending bill that does not include funding for a border wall?

Thats the question House Freedom Caucus members asked themselves Wednesday night as they debated how best to show President Donald Trump that they back his border wall proposal given that the funding bill is not expected to include money the Trump administration had requested for the wall.

They are likely to have more time to work out an answer. Ashort-term continuing resolution to maintain government operations through May 5 was introduced late Wednesday.

Several Freedom Caucus members told Roll Call after the meeting that theyre wrestling with which vote a yes or a no would show the most support for Trump and better the chances the wall be funded down the road.

Trump has apparently agreed to drop demands to fund the wall in the current fiscal year and to push for wall funding in fiscal 2018. So a yes vote could signal that conservatives support the president, something theyre still cautious about ensuring they do after Trump pointed blame at the Freedom Caucus for the health care impasse (their position on that shifted in Trumps favor earlier Wednesday).

But a yes vote on the spending bill could also send the wrong message that conservatives dont care about funding the wall. And a no is certainly more in line with where conservatives are expected to be given that many of their priorities appear to be already off the table.

We dont get the border wall and we dont get Planned Parenthood funding thats great; sign me up, Freedom Caucus board member Scott Perry said. Although his sarcastic tone was clear, he clarified that hes not happy about the deal thats being discussed.

It aint over yet, he said.

House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows told Roll Call the group did not take an official position on the spending bill, which has yet to be released, but that they discussed how best to show support for the president on the border wall.

There is a real concern that voting for a CR that doesnt fund the border wall sends the entirely wrong message on behalf of conservative thought, he said.

The border wall is not the only issue of concern for conservatives. They would also like to see language prohibiting federal funds for sanctuary cities, especially in light of the recent District Court ruling against Trumps executive order that sought to prevent assistance to sanctuary cities, Meadows said.

Both of those things have to be addressed and need to be addressed, the North Carolina Republican said.

The question remains whether to push for these things in fiscal 2017 or live to fight on them another day, especially on the wall, which was one of Trumps top campaign priorities.

We have to figure out a way to make sure that he funds it, and make sure that we dont allow 48 Democrats in the Senate to control the next four years, Meadows said.

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Conservatives Ask Will 'Yes' or 'No' Show More Support for Border Wall? - Roll Call

VIEW FROM THE PEW, by Sarah Johnson 2:31 p.m. CT April 26, 2017

Participants in last year's For God & Country event wave American flags at Broken Chains Freedom Church. This year's event will be May 19-20.(Photo: Contributed by BCFC)

One led Army troops into combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan. The other was burned and disfigured while fighting with Army forces in Iraq.

The two military heroes Shilo Harris and Col. Allen West - will headline the For God & Country event May 19 and 20 at Memorial Auditorium, presented by Broken Chains Freedom Church. Proceeds support organizations that treat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.

This is the second year of For God & Country, an event that coincides with Armed Forces Day, Roy Boswell, pastor of Broken Chains, said. As a nation, we have strayed away from God and we have failed to realize how important our active military and our veterans are to us. If we dont teach our young people about this, who will?

A participant in last years Jericho Ride, presented by Broken Chains Freedom Church, proudly leads the way with flags flying on his motorcycle. This years ride will be part of the For God & Country weekend May 19-20. The event features the motorcycle ride and speaking events with military heroes Shilo Harris and Col. Allen West. Proceeds from For God & Country will support organizations that treat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.(Photo: Contributed by BCFC)

The weekend of activities kicks off with guest speaker Shilo Harris at 7 p.m. May 19. On May 20, the Bryan Tynker Gates Memorial Jericho Ride starts at Broken Chains, 5200 Henry Grace Freeway. First bike out is 9 a.m. Entry fee is $20. Motorcycle riders travel around the county, stopping to pray over the leadership and citizens of various towns. After the ride, bikers will escort Harris and West from Red River Harley Davidson to Memorial Auditorium with their flags flying. West will speak at 7 p.m.

Harris(Photo: Contributed photo)

Harris was patrolling a southern Iraqi roadway on Feb. 19, 2007, when his Humvee was struck by an IED. Moments later, three members of his crew were dead and Harris had sustained severe injuries that would alter the course of his life. For 48 days, he lay trapped in a medically-induced coma. He endured 60 surgeries with the unwavering devotion of his family. His is an inspiring story of living in the face of fear and trusting God.

Allen West grew up in Atlanta, where his father instilled in him a code of conduct that would guide the rest of his life. He led troops as an Army colonel, raised a loving family and served as a congressman in Floridas 22nd District. With his core values of family, faith, tradition, service, honor, fiscal responsibility, courage and freedom, he has emerged as a strong, politically conservative voice.

West(Photo: Contributed by Allen West)

We, Wichita Falls, are a military town and we have several retired military living here and we should be proud of that fact, Boswell said. Where would Wichita Falls be without Sheppard Air Force Base? Why cant Wichita Falls, a military town, do more than we are doing? We can and we hope that this event, For God & Country, along with other events here will help us to never forget how much they mean to us. Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you - Jesus Christ and the American soldier. One died for your soul, the other died for your freedom.

For God & Country is a free event. Funds raised help support organizations that treat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, such as the National Veterans Health and Wellness Center in Angel Fire, NewMexico. For more information, visit the Facebook page For God & Country.

Join the Disciple Women group at Park Place Christian Church for Coffee with Jesus from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 6 at the church, 4400 Call Field Road.

There will be three break-out groups with speakers, including Energy and Colors, Vital Needs and a candle-making craft time. Lunch will be provided by the Disciple Women. Come and hear how to change the world around you by loving the you God created, Sarah Gordon, a member of Park Place, said.

Registration is $5. Deadline to register is May 1. For more information, call 692-0165.

When participants for the annual Walk for Life event gather on May 13, they will be helping the Pregnancy Help Center, with locations in Wichita Falls and Vernon, not only raise money but also celebrate a name change. The PHC is now The Center. The event will take place from 9-11:30 a.m. at Lucy Park, Pavilion, in Wichita Falls, and Calvary Baptist Family Life Center in Vernon.

We do so much more than free pregnancy testing, so we want to reflect that with our name, Vonetta Ferguson, director of The Center, said. This event is a chance to celebrate life and see old and new friends.

Free family events in Wichita Falls include face painting, balloon sculptures and music from the band Anchored, a music ministry of Anchor Baptist Church. In addition, there will be drawings for great gifts that morning for all participating children and adults. Chick-Fil-A will be on hand with chicken biscuits and the cow.

Proceeds from this walk will benefit The Center of Wichita Falls and Vernon. The nonprofit agency assists women, their children, and expectant fathers by offering the following free services: pregnancy testing, nurse verifications, sonograms, option consultations by a volunteer, Just One Mom to Another" and Moms Hang Time parenting classes, prenatal classes and Dads Boot Camp for expectant fathers. A new free service is testing for sexually transmitted infections. For more information, call The Center at 322-4883 or 761-3432.

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Military heroes to headline For God & County event - Times Record News

Fiscal conservatives live in strange times. We have a Republican President who regularly pledges to protect enormous budgetary sacred cows, and wants a trillion or so in infrastructure spending on top. But while the first part of the Trump presidency has seen spending issues all but disappear, budget debates are back with a vengeance just days to go before a possible government shutdown.

Republicans are divided on everything from healthcare to tax policy to the infamous wall. But while the often-chaotic big tent produces headaches for leadership, party division may actually be better than the alternative.

New data from SpendingTracker.org offers a note of caution for Republicans tempted to be angry at their renegade fiscal wing.

RELATED:Without the House Freedom Caucus, Trumps Republican Party would be worthless

When looking at what every member of Congress has voted to spend, one of the clearest takeaways is how united the Democratic Party is on fiscal issues. Despite an unexpectedly turbulent Democratic presidential primary and DNC chair selection last year, there is very little variety among Democrats on budget issues especially in comparison to bitter GOP fights that characterized much of the last Congress and continue into this one.

To be clear, politicians in both parties tend to vote for higher spending. For instance, of the roughly $2 trillion in new spending that President Obama signed into law over the last two years, the median House Democrat voted for $1.86 trillion and the median Republican for $1.95.

Republicans, though, have somehow maintained a diversity no longer seen in Democratic ranks. In the 114th Congress, the lowest and highest-spending members were Republicans. Thats partially thanks to the unruly caucus in the Republican Party that pulls it in the other direction.

For the Democrats, the idea of a fiscally conservative wing is increasingly one of the past. While the biggest Republican fiscal hawk in the House, Rep. Justin Amash, voted for just over $8 billion in the last Congress, his Democratic counterpart, Illinois Jan Schakowsky, voted to spend almost $450 billion. The Senate shows similar division although Democratic-leaning Independent Bernie Sanders many missed votes and tendency to reject NDAA bills counterintuitively earns him the top saver title.

Looking at all spending votes (not just votes for legislation that passed) shows more predictable party-line division in both houses of Congress. Now, a vast majority of the lowest-spending members are Republicans, and the gap between the most frugal Republican and the most frugal Democrat widens to more than $1 trillion.

Much of this change is due to the 2015 Price bill to repeal Obamacare, but the gap between Republicans and Democrats grows even when excluding that vote.

These observations can be viewed with varying levels of cynicism. Do these totals represent what Republicans would vote for if they had united government? Or what theyre comfortable supporting with little chance of it ever becoming reality? The coming session should shed a little light on what take is more accurate.

But one theme is apparent regardless. While some Democrats still vote for less spending, the gap between the parties is wide and growing, as the fiscal hawks increasingly become a vilified minority of just one party.

Ultimately, much bigger changes will need to happen before meaningful spending restraint can be achieved. Its been 22 years since Congress managed to complete the budget process on time, and when most spending happens in the form of massive, last-minute packages that members see just before a looming government shutdown, its hard to imagine anyone but the strictest Freedom Caucus hardliners taking responsible votes on a regular basis.

RELATED:The White House wants us to vote to eliminate federal agencies. But is it a trick?

Over time, partisanship in general has increased dramatically. Research shows that party-line votes have become the overwhelming norm and are increasing at about 5 percent every year. Its uncommon for any member of Congress to vote against his or her party.

But on budgetary votes, a small group of Republicans still is willing to defy that norm and fiscal conservatives should be glad. Without a wing of the party pushing for responsibility, the cause risks being diminished indefinitely. Republican leaders should appreciate that their party still has a budgetary conscience even if it causes some growing pains along the way.

Regardless of how one identifies in partisan politics, theres no question that mainstream politics and fiscal conservatism grow farther apart by the day. Small government advocates would be well-served to take a hard look at the experiences of the Democratic Party and realize the importance of having at least one major party that keeps its fiscal conservative wing alive.

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Talk is cheap: Who walks the walk on spending? - Rare.us

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton has threatened to veto a pair of abortion-related measures passed by the Republican-controlled House Monday. One bill would set new licensing and inspection requirements for abortion clinics and the other would prohibit the funding of abortions under state-sponsored health care programs.

Legislators voted 77-54 on the prohibition bill, HF809, sponsored by Rep. Mary Franson, R-Alexandria, which would apply to the Medical Assistance program. That bill now moves to the Senate.

The Hyde Amendment bans federal funds from paying for abortions except in the case of rape, incest or preserving the life of the mother. A 1995 Minnesota Supreme Court decision struck down a 1978 law similar to HF809 as unconstitutional.

Prior to the debate on the House floor, Rep. Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul, charged Republicans of playing politics on abortion and wasting time that could be used to resolve the state budget.

My Republican colleagues are inserting themselves into a decision about the health care of women, that should be the decision for a women, her family and her health care provider, Murphy said.

Franson said her bill would apply the same restriction to the Medical Assistance program, noting My constituents and I do not believe we should pay for elective abortions, according to Session Daily. She said some organizations offer financial assistance to help women pay for the procedure.

I believe that women deserve better than abortion, Franson said. Providing free abortion does nothing to help women.

Rep. Abigail Whelan, R-Ramsey, said using taxpayer dollars for abortions is a violation of the religious freedom of Minnesotans who are being forced to fund a practice that goes against their sincerely-held religious beliefs.

Rep. Laurie Halverson, DFL-Eagen, disagreed, arguing the entire range of health care should be available to women in the state regardless of whether they are wealthy or poor.

Rep. Peggy Flanagan, DFL-St. Louis Park, said, Were developing a habit of not listening to low-income women and not listening to women of color within the Legislature.

The bill includes a severability clause, which would state the Legislatures intent as being that if a court were to find part of the bill unconstitutional, the rest would remain in effect, Session Daily reported.

The licensing measure, HF812, sponsored by Rep. Debra Kiel, R-Crooskston, includes inspections every two years, a $365 biennial license fee and a system for suspension or revocation. The House passed the bill 79-53 and it now moves on to the Senate.

The bill proposes as of July 1, 2018 the commissioner of health would be responsible for issuing licenses to facilities where 10 or more elective abortions are performed monthly, not including separately licensed hospitals and outpatient surgical centers.

We are not looking to shut down abortion facilities, Kiel said. We are working to make sure that women are our priority.

To be eligible, a facility would need accreditation or to belong to a membership organization; losing either could lead to loss of a license.

The House adopted an amendment offered by Kiel, as amended, raising the license fee from $345 to $365 and adjusting the appropriation to $55,000 in Fiscal Year 2018 and $8,000 in Fiscal Year 2019.

Gov. Dayton vetoed a similar bill in 2012.

Several DFLers said the state already regulates abortion facilities by licensing doctors and other medical professionals, and noted that other medical procedures arent covered under the bill.

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MN House passes a pair of abortion bills - Wahpeton Daily News

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WATERTOWN The ongoing legal battle between the city and the firefighters union has cost the city at least $315,000 in attorney fees, according to documents obtained by the Watertown Daily Times.

The citys legal bills hit $315,225.60 as of Jan. 1, according to invoices and bills obtained through the Freedom of Information Act by the Times. Attorney bills for the first three months of this year were not provided.

However, City Councilman Cody J. Horbacz said Wednesday afternoon that he expects the bills to be much more than that.

He brought up the issue of the skyrocketing legal expenses during the first budget session on Tuesday night, expressing concern about whether enough money is appropriated in the 2017-18 budget.

In my opinion, its under-budgeted for law bills, he said Wednesday.

City Manager Sharon A. Addison appropriated $319,500 for legal expenses for the next fiscal year. That amount would pay for Terry ONeil, the Long Island attorney hired to represent the city in the nearly three-year legal dispute with the firefighters union, for fees from City Attorney Robert J. Slye and other legal expenses associated with the negotiations.

But Councilman Horbacz said City Comptroller James E. Mills told him that the city has already spent about $360,000 in legal expenses with two months remaining in the fiscal year.

That $360,000 is already about $75,000 over the amount budgeted for 2016-17, he pointed out.

He expects that amount to continue to go up. And hes worried about what happens with legal bills next year.

Daniel Daugherty, president of the Watertown Professional Fire Fighters Association Local 191, said Wednesday that the citys legal fees could reach $500,000 by the time the legal battles are resolved and the contract dispute has been settled.

Right now, it wouldnt surprise me if the city spends $500,000, he said, stressing that the city and the union will be in court several times during the month of May, so the bills are expected to continue to increase.

The main sticking point remains the issue involving the minimal manning stipulation that 15 firefighters must be on duty at all times. The city contends that the stipulation causes the department to be overstaffed, while the union maintains that changing it would be unsafe.

The Times sifted through 280 pages of bills and invoices that the city provided in the FOIL request.

Out of the $319,000, only $150,000 of the legal fees pertains to labor negotiations, Ms. Addison said. The remainder is attributed to counter actions initiated by the firefighters union involving grievances, improper labor practices and other legal maneuvers, she said.

The union continues to have about 10 grievances in the works against the city alone. Two arbitration cases also have not been resolved. Mr. ONeil is paid $350 an hour. Every time theres a court date it costs the city about $3,500, Mr. Daugherty said.

Ms. Addison expects a number of those legal proceedings will be resolved in the next several weeks, so she expects that the city will be paying about $50,000 in attorney fees between now and the end of the fiscal year.

She also appropriated about $100,000 in the proposed budget for Bond, Schoeneck & King, the law firm that employs Mr. ONeil. She believes that amount will be enough to get through next year, Ms. Addison said.

The union probably has already spent $100,000 for legal fees with its attorneys, Mr. Daugherty said. The union could end up spending between $200,000 and $300,000 for attorneys before the contract is settled.

As soon it is, the union and the city will have to start negotiating for the next contract, he said.

Both sides claim they can work out their differences by going back to the negotiating table. Ms. Addison claimed the city made two requests to go back to the table, but the union didnt take up either offer.

Mr. Daugherty said the union was willing to have an off-the-record meeting with the city, as long as the arbitrator is present. But Ms. Addison said the city declined that offer because it doesnt trust that arbitrator and would be willing to sit down with the union as long as the mediator wasnt involved.

The city has been insistent that minimal manning be eliminated from the firefighters working model. Ms. Addison said that fire departments in similar sized communities have between nine and 12 firefighters on duty at all times.

This minimal manning is a job security clause to the fire union, as well as individual firefighters, she said.

While the city could end up spending $500,000, the long-term impact could be an annual savings of $1 million forever, she said. But Mr. Daugherty countered that he believes the union, in the end, will win its arbitration case involving the contract.

I think its a pretty good long shot shes risking with taxpayer money, he said.

He also reiterated that the minimal manning stance is needed. In other comparable communities of Watertowns size, firefighters have higher salaries and the departments are in close proximity of other professional departments.

The issue has both state and national implications, so the union has received assistance from outside firefighter organizations, Ms. Addison said.

The 70-member union has been without a contract since July 2014. The contract talks became increasingly bitter after eight captains were demoted to firefighters last July. The eight lost about 20 percent of their annual salaries when they were demoted, while the city made the change to save about $100,000 a year.

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Watertown Daily Times | Watertown's legal bills mounting for ... - WatertownDailyTimes.com

Utahns constantly hear how well the states economy is doing. Pick a category of economic success and Utah is at or near the top. Being recognized for the results of hard work is nice. And make no mistake it takes hard work to become the fastest growing economy with the best place for jobs in the nation. But one thing is often overlooked in all the accolades, all the speeches, all the back-slapping, and that is how Utah achieved this success.

I have written the past few months about Utah's "secret sauce. Based on a decade of working in various economic development positions, I have concluded the states success is based on tried and true principles of fiscal prudence, global leadership and free enterprise. I have argued by employing these same principles, other states and our nation can achieve similar results.

This column focuses on the principle of free enterprise. This principle, inextricably linked to individual liberty, is the engine of our economy. The freedom of movement. The freedom of commerce. The freedom of choice. And the responsibility that comes with those freedoms.

In Utah, we venerate the entrepreneur, the job creator and the small-business owner. We recognize that free enterprise has created the most opportunity, the most freedom, the most choices and the best quality of life for more people than any other time in history.

During the Great Recession, some pundits gleefully proclaimed that free enterprise had failed, that capitalism was dead. But not in Utah. This state held true to the principle of free enterprise and the idea that limited government that empowers the private sector was the answer to accelerating job creation.

One example of this principle in action is the regulatory reform led by the governors office. Each member of the governors cabinet was assigned the task of asking two questions: What regulations does your government agency oversee that impact business? What public purpose do those regulations serve? Based on the answers to these simple questions, the state modified or eliminated nearly 400 regulations.

Imagine how the power of the private sector could be unleashed across the nation if this effort was done at the federal level. Imagine how we could jump-start our national economy if federal regulatory reform sought input from the actual people impacted and hindered by over-regulation. The concept may be simple, but implementation takes more sustained focus and effort than we have seen to date.

Our constitutional republic is marvelous, genius and inspired because it was designed by the Founders to empower individuals to overcome their unique challenges. Sadly, the federal government has strayed far from that ideal, with a judiciary that legislates from the bench, an executive branch that too often chooses which laws it will enforce and which it will ignore, and a Congress that has abdicated its lawmaking authority to a sprawling federal bureaucracy.

People around the country and the world see the fruits of Utahs economy and wonder how a place with 3 million people, located somewhere in the middle of the Rocky Mountains, became the fastest growing state economy in the largest national economy in the world. Well, if you want to understand the fruits, you have to look at the roots. Utahs roots are strong and planted in the soil of tried and true principles of economic prosperity. Our countrys roots can be nurtured again by employing these same strengthening principles. Utah has the message the nation wants. Utah is the example the nation needs.

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Utah hasn't forgotten the power of free enterprise - Deseret News